


Are we names in a tattoo (or just a number on a hand?)

by simplyn2deep



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M, Romantic Soulmates, Sterek Valentine's Exchange 2019, sterek-events2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-28 11:11:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17786276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simplyn2deep/pseuds/simplyn2deep
Summary: Names on a wrist lead to love





	Are we names in a tattoo (or just a number on a hand?)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SterekEvents](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SterekEvents/gifts).



> This was written for [sterek-events2019](https://sterek-events2019.tumblr.com) on tumblr.
> 
> Title of this comes from the song "Written in the Sand" by Old Dominion  
>  _Are we just a backseat, tryna get it while we can?_  
>  **Are we names in a tattoo, or just a number on a hand?**  
>  Are we last-call kissing or will we be reminiscing with each other for the next forty years?  
> Are we written in the stars, baby, or are we written in the sand?
> 
> Some dialogue from the show has been changed to fit this story.

**Derek: Age 9**  
_Mieczyslaw._

The name first appears on Derek’s wrist when he’s nine years old. It looks like chicken scratch in a foreign language but he's pleased. He got his mark! Laura was going to be so jealous. She said he was going to be an old man and still not have his because he doesn’t talk to anyone and everyone who tries to talk to him is scared off by his scary eyebrows.

Derek doesn’t care. He has his name on his wrist and he can’t wait to find them. But first, he has to figure out what the name is.

 **Stiles: Age 16**  
Stiles was born with the name already on his skin. While growing up some thought it was cool, others thought it was creepy. Being born with a name already on your skin? Your soul mate had to be old and what kind of creeper is mates with someone so young?

Over the years, the name on his wrist starts to fade, but then just after his sixteenth birthday, the name was brighter than ever. Stiles knew that had to mean something, but he didn’t know what.

One afternoon, Stiles was walking through the woods with Scott trying to trace their steps from the previous night when they broke curfew to search the woods for whatever had his father leaving the house in the middle of dinner.

“What are you doing here, huh? This is private property.” A man said. He seemed to appear out of nowhere, startling Stiles and Scott.

“Sorry, man,” Scott said after a moment.

“Yeah, we were just looking for something, but…uh…forget it. Umm, alright, come on, I gotta get back home. We have that math test…” Stiles said as he tried to pull Scott away.

“Dude…do you know who that was? That’s Derek Hale…” Scott said.

 **Derek: Age 23**  
Over the years, Derek was never able to find anyone with the same name on his wrist. To cover it up, he took to wearing a black cuff or long-sleeved shirts to hide the name. He’d grown tired of trying to explain the name or fend off questions about it and that he hadn’t found his soul mate yet.

It wasn’t until his freshman year in college that his roommate happened to see the name on his wrist and hesitantly ask him about it.

“It’s Polish,” his roommate, Krystian said. He showed his wrist as he continued to speak, “My soul mate and girlfriend is named Krystyna. We met each other while touring a museum in Chicago. She was there visiting on an exchange from the University of Warsaw.”

Derek blinked at his roommate. That was probably the most Derek heard from the man in the three months they’d been living together.

“So…it’s Polish,” Derek said looking at his wrist. “How do I even pronounce it?”

Krystian laughed. “It is a more difficult name. I feel sorry for the person with this name.” He pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. “May I?” he asked motioning to Derek’s wrist.

Derek held out his hand so that Krystian could better see the name to write it on the paper.

“Mieczyslaw,” Krystian repeated to himself in a mumble. He shook his head some. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he changed his name to something else.”

Derek looked up at that. “It’s a man’s name?”

“I think so. I’ve seen a lot of Polish names and this looks like something they would have given a son.” Krystian looked at Derek, “I can get some Polish ancestry books for you if you’d like?”

Derek nodded his head. “That would be helpful.”

 **Stiles: Age 30**  
Stiles had just finished graduate school in West Virginia and earned a Master’s Degree in Education and was excited to be moving back home to Beacon Hills. He was going to be an adjunct professor at the local community college where he would be teaching folklore Tuesday and Thursday nights and history at the high school.

“So…tell me what’s been going on?” Stiles asked his father.

John laughed. “Nothing’s changed since the last time we spoke on the phone.”

“But those were just weekly checkup calls,” Stiles complained. “I need more. Have you guys hired any more deputies? How’s Parrish handling taking over for you…how are **you** handling being retired?!”

“Parrish is doing great. There are two new deputies who have been there about a month and they seem to be working out just fine.” John said.

“Kira said they were siblings?” Stiles asked as he looked over his menu.

“Yeah, the Hales,” John said in agreement. Stiles dropped his menu and John raised an eyebrow. “Something the matter son?”

Stiles shook his head. “Nothing’s wrong. You were saying about the Hales?”

“They moved back about two years ago, rebuilt their house and it’s like they never left,” John said. “Cora and Laura at the Sheriff’s Department and Derek is the new history teacher at the high school.”

Stiles nearly dropped his menu a second time but was saved by the arrival of the waitress to take their order.

Stiles and his father spent the rest of their breakfast chatting about other things that had been going on around town before they parted ways. John went to take Melissa something for lunch and Stiles went to meet Scott at the Vet’s office where he’d taken over Deaton’s practice.

After meeting with Scott, Stiles went to the high school to meet with the principal and History department chairperson.

Pulling into the high school parking lot, Stiles saw a familiar face that made him pause. Derek Hale.

Stiles took a deep breath and walked to the school. He headed for the principal’s office and waited to be called in.

“Mister Stilinski?” The secretary said, “the principal and Mister Hale are ready to see you.”

Stiles stood up, glanced at his wrist and nervously pulled his sports jacket sleeve to cover the name on his wrist before he walked into the office. “Ms. Martin. A pleasure as always.” He said shaking Natalie Martin’s hand.

“And you’re a charmer as always,” Natalie said. “Derek Hale, meet Mieczyslaw Stilinski, the new history teacher.”

 **Happily Ever After**  
It was their fourth date and Derek was anxiously awaiting Stiles’ arrival. He was going to officially introduce his sister to Stiles as his boyfriend. Laura and Cora were already done with their shift for the night and had showered, changed and were helping him in the kitchen.

“You know…” Laura said as she cut tomatoes to add to the salad they were having for dinner, “Cora and I already know Stiles. This isn’t really necessary.”

“Yeah. How many times has he had dinner with us or the two of you have brought lunch to the office to share with us? We know him,” Cora added.

“Yes, but this is different,” Derek replied. “Can you just go with it?”

Cora and Laura exchanged looks and nodded their heads, but when they looked at Derek, they had decidedly evil smirks on their faces. “We’ll go with it, but tell us…do we have time to bust out the baby photo albums?”

Before Derek could reply, there was a knock at the door. “I’ll get it,” he said as he wiped his hands on a dish towel. He all but fled the kitchen to let Stiles in.

A few minutes later, Derek returned to the kitchen with Stiles in tow.

“Well Laura, look who’s joining us for dinner,” Cora said as she hopped down from the counter she was sitting on. “It’s Mieczyslaw…”

Laura grinned. “That it is. Mieczyslaw, how are you doing?”

Stiles gave Derek a confused look. “Umm, okay?”

Derek simply shook his head. “They know,” he said. “I’m sorry in advance for anything they say or do as they get through their posturing or whatever.”

Stiles laughed. “That’s okay. I mean…you’re going to get it from Dad, Melissa, and Scott next month so…”

Groaning, Derek went back to fixing dinner.

There were another four dates before Derek was officially introduced to Stiles’ family – his father, step-mother and step-brother. Of course, like Stiles knew Derek’s sisters, Derek knew John, Melissa, and Scott. There were shared meals, birthday parties, and Scott and Kira’s engagement party.

“So…Derek Hale, hmm?” Scott asked as he bumped shoulders with his brother. “Who would have thought?”

“Clearly not you because you didn’t put it together when you told me his name when we were sixteen,” Stiles said. “I mean, really, Scotty!”

Scott shrugged helplessly. He knew Stiles was right, but at the time, he was still reeling at the double name on his wrist and trying to keep both of them hidden from everyone.

Soon after, the group was sitting down to dinner. The conversation was great, no uncomfortable silences and thankfully no baby photo albums were brought out either.

“I brought cheesecake for dessert,” Derek said when they were collecting their dirty dishes.

“That’s great,” John said, “While Stiles and Scott deal with that, Mel and I were wondering what your intentions are with our son?”

Derek had been staring at his wrist, which now always went uncovered, just like Stiles’. Derek didn’t miss a beat when he replied to John’s question. “Stiles and I were thinking about an official soul mate ceremony for next summer…”

**Author's Note:**

> I can be found on tumblr at [fandommadememad](https://fandommadememad.tumblr.com) or [simplyn2deep](https://simplyn2deep.tumblr.com)


End file.
